Firearm cartridge lubricator



Aug. 27, 1968 o. N. OLSON FIREARM CARTRIDGE LUBRICATOR Filed April 17, 1967 22 INVENTOR.

0 1-5 .N. O z. s ofl w AM AT TOPNEYS United States Patent 3,398,629 FIREARM CARTRIDGE LUBRICATOR Ole N. Olson, 2909 Quentin Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55416 Filed Apr. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 631,345 2 Claims. (CI. 86-19) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device having an annular wick impregnated with lubricant and means for securing same to a supporting surface, the central opening of the wick providing means for applying a coat of lubricant to the exterior surface of a spent firearm cartridge case during the reloading process thereof.

Background of the invention This invention pertains to the art of hand reloading of spent firearm cartridge cases and specifically to the lubricating of the exterior surface prior to the resizing operation of the cartridge case. A known prior art device for effecting such lubrication is a rectangular pad impregnated with a suitable lubricant, such as anhydrous lanolin, the pad being contained within a case. Such pads are normally placed in close proximity to a hand reloading tool and at a desired time during the reloading operation (specifically prior to the resizing operation), the cartridge case is rolled on the pad to lubricate the exterior thereof. Since the pad must be placed in a horizontal position it acts as a convenient damp surface for collecting dust, lint, grit, or other foreign material which may be present. Thus, as cartridge cases are lubricated by use of the pads, they may become contaminated, resulting in damage to the casing or resizing die in which they are to be placed.

In most cases, only neck resizing of the cartridge case is necessary and only that portion of the case need be lubricated by rolling the neck along the edge of the pad. When it becomes necessary to resize the full length of the cartridge case, such as when the length of the case becomes slightly longer, the full length of the case must be rolled over the pad. This results in the reloaders hand becoming coated with the lubricant. The above condition has resulted in the practice of lubricating several cartridge cases at the same time making it necessary to provide a separate container which is completely free of dust, dirt, or other foreign materials for storage of the lubricated cartridge cases. Also, great care must be taken during the lubricating and storage of such cases, so as to prevent the entrance of any lubricant into the interior thereof which may kill the primer or powder of a reloaded cartridge.

Another known prior art method of lubricating such cartridge cases is the coating of the fingers by the person doing the reloading and subsequent rotation of the cases between the fingers. This method is also less than satisfactory due to the above outlined reasons.

Summary of the invention To avoid the above problems in the art of reloading cartridges, the inventor provides a lubricating device which includes an annular wick impregnated with a lubricant, such as anhydrous lanolin, and means for supporting same in a desired operative position adjacent a cartridge reloading tool. After a cartridge has progressed through the various steps preceding the resizing operation, the cartridge case is lubricated by placing the neck or mouth thereof within the central opening in the 3,398,629 Patented Aug. 27, 1968 'Wick of the lubricator. Should the diameter of the casing be less than the opening in the wick, a circular motion along with a slight axial movement of the case will serve to apply the correct amount of lubricant to the exterior of the case. Alternatively, should the diameter of the case exceed that of the opening slightly, an axial movement of the case within the opening will sufiice to achieve the desired results. In either event, the correct amount of lubricant is accurately applied to the cartridge with a minimum possibility of any lubricant entering the interior of the case or the exterior of the case collecting any foreign material. Also, the hands of the person doing the reloading are left free of lubricant for further reloading operations.

Descriptian of the drawings Referring to the drawings wherein a prefer-red embodiment of the present invention is shown and in which like characters represent like parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing the present invention in operative position;

FIG. 2 is a view in exploded perspective on a slightly reduced scale showing the several parts thereof;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view thereof showing the side opposite that seen in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view as seen from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, there is shown a device, indicated generally by the numeral 10, for lubricating the exterior surface 11 of a spent cartridge case A. The device 10 includes a wick means 12, which is formed from an absorbent material such as felt, and which is impregnated with a cartridge lubricant such as anhydrous lanolin, not shown. The wick means 12 is annular in form and includes a central aperture 13 extending therethrough. Means for engaging the 'wick 12 and maintaining same in the desired operative position of FIG. 1 includes a housing 14 having first and second housing portions 15, 16. Each of the housing portions 15, 16 is also annular in form and include an aperture 17, 18, respectively, formed therein.

As shown, particularly in FIG. 4, first housing portion 15 is generally cup-shaped and is mounted in engagement with one surface 19 of second housing portion 16 and with the apertures 17, 18 axially aligned so as to define an annular channel 20 which opens radially inwardly toward the apertures 17, 18. The apertures 17, 18 are maintained in axial alignment by means of a plurality of bolts 21 received within aligned openings 22, 23 in housing portions 15, 16, the openings 22 being internally threaded. With this arrangement, the peripheral edge of the wick means 12 is engaged and held within the channel 20 and the aperture 13 is maintained in concentric relationship to the apertures 17, 18 of the housing portions 15, 16. It will be noted that the diametric dimensions of the openings 17, 18 are substantially larger than the aperture 13 for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter. Also, it will be noted that cup shaped first housing portion 15 is relatively thin at that portion which is in engagement with the adjacent side of wick means 12. This provides a combined dimension axially of the apertures 13, 17 of wick means 12, and housing portion 15, respectively, which is substantially less than the diametric dimension of aperture 17 for a reason more fully explained in the following description of operation.

For the purpose of mounting the housing 10 to a supporting structure, preferably a portion B of a conventional hand reloading tool, not fully shown, housing portion 16 is provided with a laterally projecting arm 24. Arm 24 includes near its extended end, an opening for the reception of a nut equipped bolt 25 associated with portion B of the hand reloading tool.

Operation For illustrative purposes, cartridge case A has been shown as the type having a reduced neck portion 26 which has diametric dimensions that are somewhat less than the aperture 13 of wick means 12. When it is desirable to lubricate this portion and the tapered shoulder adjacent same, such as during the steps commonly known as neck resizing, the operator inserts the reduced end of the cartridge case A into the aperture 13. Thereafter, a circular motion, such as illustrated by the arrow of FIG. 3, together with movement in an axial direction, causes engagement of the exterior surface 11 of the reduced portion 26 with the periphery of the aperture 13 and subsequent lubrication circumferentially of cartridge case A. In the event one wishes to full length resize the cartridge A, the above operation is completed. Thereafter, when the cartridge has been inserted to a point wherein the entire circumference engages the periphery of the aperture 13, only axial movements to a position where an operators fingers are adjacent wick means 12 and withdrawal out of the aperture 13 are necessary. This is possible in view of the relative thinness of first housing portion 15 in the area of the aperture 17 thereof. Thus, a lubricating device has been provided which provides but a minimum surface area for the collection of foreign material and which permits the lubrication of cartridge cases having diametric dimensions either slightly more or less than those of the aperture 13 of wick means 12, during either neck or full length resizing, without deposit of lubricant on the fingers of a person during the reloading thereof and without releasing the cartridge.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects; and while I have shown and described above a preferred embodiment thereof in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, I wish it to be specifically understood that the same may be modified without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for lubricating the exterior surface of a cartridge case comprising:

(a) relatively flat wick means adapted to be impregnated with a lubricant;

(b) said wick means having opposite side surfaces and a marginal edge portion;

(c) housing means including relatively flat first and second housing portions having central apertures through each thereof;

(d) one each of said housing portions disposed in engagement with one of said opposite side surfaces of said wick means at the marginal edge portion thereof;

(e) means securing said housing portions together in engagement with said marginal edge portion of said wick means,

(f) said wick means defining a central aperture therethrough concentrically disposed with respect to said apertures of said housing portions and having diametric dimensions substantially less than said apertures of said housing portions and slightly less than the major diametric dimensions of a cartridge case which it is intended to receive; and

(g) said wick means and one of said housing portions having a combined dimension axially of said apertures thereof which is substantially less than the diametric dimension of said aperture in said one housing portion whereby to permit movement of a cartridge case axially and compound movement axially and peripherally into said apertures of said wick means and said one housing portion and to permit lubrication substantially from end to end of cartridge cases tapered slightly along their length and cartridge cases having relatively different diametric dimensions along their length without releasing same.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which one of said housing portions includes a laterally projecting arm having an opening formed therein for securing said housing means to a supporting surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 294,176 2/1884 Alexander 86-19 1,229,969 6/1917 Kaschenbach 86-19 1,305,028 5/1919 Thompson 86-19 2,277,124 3/1942 Maliphant et al. 92-153 X FOREIGN PATENTS 792,999 4/1958 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

G. H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

